Citroen: country of origin and model range of the brand. Citroen cars: manufacturing country, corporation trends In which country do Citroen

To make a rational choice, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the many nuances in the automotive industry, deciding on the price category of the desired vehicle, making sure of its reliability by studying the pedigree of the car. This article will focus on cars under the Citroen brand, as many are interested in the country of origin Vehicle, which, according to consumers, predetermines the quality indicators of the model. Many are aware that Citroen has a lot of factories almost all over the world, including in Russia. This nuance makes car owners figure out whose country the manufacturer is and where directly, interesting to the buyer as a purchase. Let's try to answer in the article the most popular questions of potential buyers and car owners interested in this topic.

Positions in the sales market and popularity of the Citroen brand

Citroen cars occupy worthy positions in the Russian market, although they are not the favorites in sales. The fact is that the company, which has French roots and almost a century of existence, differs from many automakers in the absence of an assertive focus on gaining global recognition and leadership positions. This tactic of the concern allows it to engage in more global and promising tasks aimed at expanding its activities, improving and modernizing technologies. The manufacturer adheres to, despite the wide location spread of factories, certain principles and standards that allow it to retain its audience of buyers and admirers, gradually updating and modernizing the lineup automobiles, developing and releasing competitive products to the European expanses. The fundamental principles of the company, without which the manufacturer could not compete in the market for a century, are the following features of the activity:

1. Maintaining high quality technologies for the manufacture and design of vehicles, regardless of the location of the plant.
2. Mandatory control of each of the released cars under the Citroen brand, through an automated scheme established over a long period of work, which leads to high-quality features and technological guarantees for vehicles, regardless of the criterion where it was assembled.
3. The most important, significant for the functioning of the car components and assemblies are produced directly by the French plant, which determines the increased control of the quality features of Citroen products.
4. Work on the manufacture of transport products by highly qualified engineers, as well as their informational cooperation with leading companies in the automotive industry, guarantees that Citroen brand products meet world standards.

This information allows potential buyers to cast aside doubts about the possibility of purchasing low-quality goods, as the manufacturer guarantees durability, reliability, compliance with international standards for all products bearing the Citroen brand, regardless of the criterion whose assembly of a particular instance.

Location of branches and pedigree of popular models from Citroen

The total number of factories where Citroen vehicles are currently assembled, whose production was previously established only in France, totals several dozen. The main ones are localized in African and Latin American countries, Europe, China and the Russian Federation. As for the most popular models supplied to the European automotive markets, the C4 Aircross model, assembled exclusively in French factories, received the greatest respect and recognition. The production of this model is planned in the near future directly at the plant in Kaluga, however, this project is still only in a promising concept. If everything is very clear with the territorial origin of the Aircross model, then regarding the C4 series, the answer to the question of which country is the manufacturer of a particular car is not so unambiguous.

Cars from the Citroen C4 lineup, produced before 2012, have 100% French roots, however, cars of later manufacture could also be assembled at other concern plants. Since 2013, their manufacture has been taking place at the Kaluga plant: there are still disputes about the quality of assembly of these cars, however, experts say that the Citroen plant in Kaluga is equipped with a modified, modern technological base, therefore vehicles that left the assembly line in Russia , in quality they are absolutely not inferior to French copies. In 2018, since the beginning of the year in Russia, at the Citroen plant, the assembly of the Jumpy Multispace minibus has started, with increased interior space, which predetermines a great future for it. This model will be assembled exclusively in Russia. Citroen Berlingo is another model from the manufacturer, which is very popular among consumers. The car is assembled at factories in Spain, Turkey and Belarus, and its working potential and promising opportunities allow it to compete in the market with vehicles of this category from leading automakers.

Sedan from Citroen C-Elysse actively offered in the automotive markets Russian Federation, features excellent build quality, excellent design and easy modification engines. The model has proven itself well from the standpoint of adaptability to Russian climatic and operational features, which provokes the car's popularity and demand among domestic consumers. The primary quality of this model is its price, which does not exceed five hundred thousand rubles in the basic version, which positions the C-Elysse as an affordable vehicle for budget category consumers. in Spain, at a plant in Vigo.

Perspective perspective of the company and objective forecasts of experts

The Citroen concern is far from prosperous at the present time, the financial problems of the automaker put it in the position of unrespectable objects for investment. This fact makes the leaders of the concern look for ways to solve financial problems based on personal capabilities. To increase the ability to stay in trend, the corporation is actively promoting its models based on C4, working towards expanding the sales market for its automotive products. At the same time, the company is actively promoting models based on the C5, which saves financial costs, with the possibility of expanding the model range. Despite such a precarious financial position of the corporation, certain positive aspects are also visible in its current functionality:

1. The company promptly develops and puts into production new, improved cars of the budget class, with the priority opportunity to improve the financial condition through turnover.
2. The organization, despite certain problems, competes with leading automakers at various exhibitions and presentations, which positions it on the positive side, increases consumer confidence.
3. Active cooperation with leading manufacturers, the conclusion of lucrative contracts allows Citroen to provide low-cost and high-quality developments to the markets that are in demand among budget consumers.
4. A smart approach to design developments models allows Citroen cars to stay on top.
5. Citroen is developing, trying to keep up with innovative requirements, offering the consumer modern vehicles that, with good luck, will help the concern survive financial difficulties and reach a higher position.

The concern has project plans that have a great future in the automotive industry, however, to translate them into reality, the corporation needs decent funding. At the present time, it is difficult for the company to cope with the exit from the financial crisis, although the positive trends of the automaker, the desire to develop, against the background of the lack of savings on the quality of goods, suggest that the company is able to cope with the problems and take a promising position in the automotive market.

Summing up

Citroen, despite the difficulties of the financial category, has prospects for development, thanks to the well-coordinated work of leading engineers, branches, and the production of extremely competitive products. The manufacturer claims that, regardless of the criteria, whose car is on the market, which branches were involved in its assembly, the quality parameters and technological attributes of the vehicles are 100% observed. Each car produced under the Citroen brand meets international quality standards, which determines its long period of operation if the car owner complies with the basic requirements of the manufacturer.

Recently, a well-known European manufacturer presented to the public its new city car called "C3 Citroen". The manufacturing country (France) plans to conquer new ones based on the modern design of the novelty, its good specifications and acceptable price. Also, according to the company, the hatchback changed the finishing materials to better ones. But whether she will be able to achieve her goal, we will find out a little later, but for now let's take a closer look at the machine and find out what the manufacturing country wants to win.

Citroen C3: design review

If you look at appearance new items, you can see that the front of the car has experienced the main changes. In front, the hatchback has a new impact bumper, inside it the manufacturer has provided a place for LED headlights, which are called Fog lights, they are also present here - they are located just below. also changed its design and became more voluminous. And this is not all the innovations that the Citroen C3 manufacturing country wants to conquer the market with. The moldings on the side of the car are finished mainly in chrome, and from below you can see small reflectors that signal drivers about the appearance of an oncoming car at night.

Specifications

The Citroen C3 manufacturing country decided to focus on economy and environmental friendliness, completely replacing the 4-cylinder engine line with a three-cylinder one. From now on, the base engine is a 68-horsepower unit with a working volume of 1000 cubic centimeters. Such a motor really turned out to be economical - it consumes about 4.3 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers. The average is a 1.2-liter engine that peaks at 82 horsepower. With such a unit, the novelty consumes a little more (4.5 liters) of gasoline per 100 kilometers. The top-end engine with a capacity of 120 "horses" and a volume of 1500 "cubes" consumes no more than 6.5 liters of fuel per hundred. By the way, the last engine is not included in the list of 3-cylinder engines - it was borrowed from the 208th Peugeot and will be available both on the Russian and European markets. The company also has 3 diesel units, but they will not be delivered to Russia. All motors are aggregated either with a 4-speed "automatic" or a 5-speed mechanical box. But not the fact that the first option will survive until next year. In the future, the company plans to replace it with a more progressive 5-speed automatic transmission.

Price policy

The country-manufacturer "Citroen C3" decided not to overestimate the cost of its novelty. So, the restyled version of the hatchback will rise in price by only 15,000 rubles and will cost about 500 thousand. As for the most expensive configuration, it will cost customers 635 thousand rubles, but this is far from a budget cost. At about the same price, a similar small car called the Citroen C4 is offered, the manufacturing country of which also intends to conquer the entire world market.

Serial assembly of Citroen C4 cars. According to CEO of the Russian representative office of Citroen Henri Ribot, the model produced at the plant was adapted to the road and climatic conditions of our country. In particular, she received a reconfigured suspension and increased ground clearance by ten millimeters.

Especially for the domestic market, Citroen prepared complete set of Optima, which includes climate control, 16-inch wheel disks, side airbags, curtain airbags, leather steering wheel trim. Prices for Optima start at 590 thousand rubles, and the cheapest version - Confort - will cost 559 thousand rubles. Besides, this car It is also attractive in that it can be purchased under the recycling program for old cars.

Meanwhile, Russian buyers are more interested in whether cars differ in quality Russian production from foreign analogues? We tried to understand this during a visit to the plant.

Don't miss the deadline

The plans of the PSA Peugeot Citroen alliance to build their plant in Russia became [known] (/news/2006/06/06/psarus) in 2006. At the same time, [Russian officials](/news/2006/09/06/psarus) of various levels and [representatives](/news/2007/05/03/psaru) of the alliance said that the new enterprise could be located in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, St. Petersburg, Pskov, Moscow region, Saratov region and the Republic of Tatarstan.

The exact location was not known at the time of the [signing](/news/2007/06/10/peugeot) of the agreement between PSA and the Ministry of Economic Development in June 2007. The French were satisfied with the territory that the Nizhny Novgorod region could provide, but the authorities of the region soon [refused] (/news/2007/12/27/psa) from cooperation, believing that PSA requests change "with frightening frequency and regularity." What exactly scared Nizhny Novgorod, was not reported, but the government of the Kaluga region reacted loyally to the same requests, where the construction of the plant began in June 2008.

A month earlier, in May, Mitsubishi announced its participation in the construction of the plant (/news/2008/05/19/joint), which planned to assemble Outlander SUVs at the site. At the beginning of 2009, when automotive markets around the world showed a sharp drop, the Japanese decided to temporarily withdraw from this venture. Meanwhile, PSA did not intend to deviate from its plans and during 2009 continued the construction of the plant, [promising] (/news/2009/02/09/psaru) that from the second half of 2010 the company will start producing cars.

As a result, the French managed to complete the construction ahead of schedule. Moreover, they did it at a very good moment for automakers: the automotive market in Russia had just begun to revive. The main reason for this, of course, was the state [program] (/articles/2010/06/04/util) recycling of old cars, but analysts in March began to note an increase in demand for those cars that were not covered by the program.

Already in March 2010, the PCMA Rus plant began test assembly of cars, and since April, the first serial Peugeot 308 has left the assembly line (/news/2010/04/23/psa).

In five hours

Currently, the PCMA Rus plant, which assembles two models - Peugeot 308 and Citroen C4, operates in the screwdriver assembly mode. Here from the French PSA plant in Mulhouse, car kits arrive with a ready-made body and a fully equipped interior. The front axle with engine, rear axle and transmission are delivered separately in wooden boxes.

After a batch of bodies arrives at the factory, they are inspected for damage that could have occurred during transportation. Defective cars are sent back to France, the rest - to the warehouse, from where they are delivered to the conveyor. Moreover, in winter, the bodies and engines must stand in a heated room for at least three hours so that their temperature equals the temperature in the workshop.

On the assembly line, the car goes through several stages, each of which takes workers no more than five minutes: first, the front axle with the engine and transmission are screwed to the car, then the rear axle, after which electrical wires are laid, and so on. Finished cars are sent to the post, where an automated computer system checks the alignment of the car, as well as the setting of the headlights.

The next stage is a quality check, during which the car is looking for damage to the body that may have occurred during the production process, as well as during transportation of the car. Cars with scratches are sent to a small paint shop, after which the car is checked again. The final stage of production is testing at the test site, where the operation of the technical "stuffing" of the car is checked.

As a result, it takes 4-5 hours of pure time to assemble one car from the moment of unloading its components from the container to loading the finished product onto the car transporter. When working in two shifts, the plant produces up to 150 vehicles per day. On July 19, the third shift was introduced here, after which the productivity increased to 200 vehicles per day.

So far, the plant produces only products of French brands, and with the launch of the SUV assembly in autumn Mitsubishi Outlander it will account for 20 percent of total production. The rest of the time the conveyors will be occupied by Peugeots and Citroens.

Like in France

According to the general director of the plant, Didier Alten, the French understand that even with a screwdriver assembly, the human factor plays an important role in the quality of a car. If unskilled employees work at the plant, then the machines Russian assembly will be worse than foreign analogues, which means they will be unclaimed by buyers.

In order to avoid such a problem, all new employees, before starting work at the plant, are trained in a specialized center located in Kaluga. Here, employees are told about the main stages of assembling cars, and then they learn in practice how to assemble cars correctly. To do this, the center has test models that are already being produced and which they plan to put on the conveyor in the near future. The training lasts five weeks. During this time, employees must learn to perform actions in a certain sequence and in a strictly allotted time, as required by production. There is no "specialization" among shop floor operators in a factory: the same worker must be equally good at screwing bolts and laying electrical wires.

The instructors who monitor student progress are French, who previously worked at other Peugeot and Citroen training centers around the world. In addition, at the PCMA Rus plant itself, the work of the assembly shop operators is supervised by French specialists who are entrusted with supervisory functions.

In addition to the quality control that is carried out for all cars after they left the assembly line, the French regularly carry out quality audits. They select eight cars daily and find out if the inspectors missed any defects in the assembly.

Currently, 70 percent of the plant's output does not need to be reworked after they roll off the assembly line. For a young plant, this is a good indicator, said Didier Alten, but in the future, as the experience of the workers grows, it should increase and strive for one hundred percent.

Full cycle

Starting from September 2010, it is planned to set up a screwdriver-driven assembly of the Citroen C-Crosser and Peugeot 4007 crossovers at the plant, and a bit later the Mitsubishi Outlander SUV will join them. In total, in 2010 the plant plans to produce 20,000 vehicles, and in 2011 - up to 45,000.

Starting from the second quarter of 2012, the enterprise will start full-cycle production, when body painting and car interior equipment will be carried out on its own territory. Currently, new workshops are being built next to the existing site, which are planned to be commissioned by the end of 2011.

In two years, the total area of ​​the plant will be one hundred thousand square meters, and the number of employees will be increased to three thousand people. The production capacity at the first stage will be 120,000 cars per year, in the future it can be increased to 300,000. The investment is estimated at 500 million euros.

At the same time, the cars of these three brands have every chance to pass the test: already now the PCMA Rus plant is called one of the most technically advanced and favorable for work - along with the Volkswagen plant, which is located several tens of kilometers from the French-Japanese plant.

Citroën is a French car brand headquartered in Paris. Since 1976, it has been part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën concern. The company has a successful history of manufacturing technologically advanced vehicles, as well as multiple motorsport victories. To date, the brand's largest sales market is China, where sales are carried out mainly through Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën.

The founder of the company Andre Citroen was born in 1878 in a family of immigrants from Odessa. He graduated from the Polytechnic Institute and got a job in a workshop manufacturing parts for steam locomotives. There he managed to quickly build a career, and already in 1908 Citroen served as technical director of the Mors plant.

During the First World War, the factory produced artillery shells for France, but after it ended, it was necessary to look for ways to load production capacity. At first, Andre Citroen did not plan to enter the automotive business, but this area was familiar to him and promised considerable profit, so he decided to take a chance. At first, Citroen decided to develop a technically sophisticated 18-horsepower car, but came to the conclusion that it was necessary to rely on affordable cars. good quality, following the example of those produced by the Henry Ford company.

In 1919, he begins production of the Type A, which was designed by Jules Salomon, the former chief designer of Le Zèbre. The car was equipped with an 18-horsepower four-cylinder and water-cooled engine, and its volume was 1327 cubic meters. see Citroën Type A accelerated to 65 km / h. Its price in the first year of production was 7,950 francs, which was quite cheap. It was the first model in Europe to receive an electric starter and light, and in addition, it was produced in a volume of 100 units per day.

Citroën Type A (1919-1921)

In 1919, André Citroën negotiated with General Motors to sell the brand. The deal was almost done when the American company felt that buying Citroën would be too much of a burden for it. Thus, the brand remained independent until 1935.

Being an excellent marketer, Citroen used the Eiffel Tower as the world's largest advertising medium, which got into the Guinness Book of Records. The inscription "Citroën" flaunted on the main attraction of Paris for 9 years. In addition, the brand organized sponsorship expeditions to Asia, North America and Africa to demonstrate the capabilities of cars.

At the Paris Motor Show in October 1924, the company introduced the Citroën B10 as the first car in Europe to use an all-steel body. At first, the model enjoyed great success in the market, but later competitors began to change the body structure, while Citroën did not redesign. Cars still sold well, but at a low price, which affected the financial condition of the company in a bad way.

To remedy the situation, the brand has developed the Traction Avant with an all-metal monocoque body, front-wheel drive and independent suspension front wheels. 1933 also saw the release of the world's first mass-produced car with diesel engine— Rosalie.

Citroën Traction Avant (1934-1957)

The development, production and market launch of the Traction Avant required a huge investment. Citroen did not spare money, which brought the company to bankruptcy.

In 1934, Citroën becomes the property of its biggest creditor, Michelin. A year later, Andre Citroen died of stomach cancer.

During the German occupation of France in World War II, company president Pierre-Jules Boulanger refused to meet with Ferdinand Porsche and communicated with the German authorities only through intermediaries. He sabotaged the production trucks for the Wehrmacht, assembling cars incorrectly. When Paris was liberated, his name was included in the list of the most important "enemies of the Reich".

During the occupation, the brand's engineers continued to work on the design of new cars, keeping it secret from the Germans. They developed concepts that were later embodied in the 2CV, Type H and DS models.

In 1948, at the Paris Motor Show, Citroën introduced a 2CV car with a low-powered engine (12 hp), which became a bestseller among the French because of its low cost and reliability. This car continued to be manufactured, with only minor changes, until 1990. In total, 8.8 million copies of the model were produced.

Citroën 2CV (1949-1990)

In 1955, another iconic car of the brand debuted - DS-19, which was distinguished by its bright appearance and low landing. It was the first mass-produced car with modern disc brakes. In addition, he received a power steering and brakes, as well as a hydropneumatic suspension, which ensured a smooth ride and the ability to adjust the height of the car. Since 1968, the DS has been equipped with directional headlights that improve visibility at night.

The brand used a high pressure hydraulic system on its models, which was installed on more than 9 million machines of the DS, SM, GS, CX, BX, XM, Xantia, C5 and C6 models. It maintains a constant vehicle height above the road, despite the load on the vehicle, and absorbs road bumps, increasing driving comfort. In the early 1960s, Mercedes-Benz tried to replicate this effect by avoiding Citroën's patented technologies, but they were so complex and expensive that development continued until 1975, when German mark was finally able to offer the market a proven hydropneumatic suspension.

Citroën was one of the pioneers of aerodynamic automotive design. As early as the 1950s, the company began using the wind tunnel, allowing for highly optimized cars such as the DS that were decades ahead of their competitors.

In 1960, the company made a series of financial and research maneuvers to strengthen its market position, but from the fact that it went bankrupt in 1974, it is clear that they were unsuccessful.

First, the brand wanted to launch a car that would sit between the small 2CV and the large DS in the model line. Secondly, it was necessary to develop a powerful engine for export markets. For the DS and CX models, such a motor was being developed, but they laid down a heavy financial burden. As a result, the cars continued to be equipped with a small four-cylinder outdated power unit.

In 1965, the company acquired truck manufacturer Berliet. Three years later, the French manufacturer bought out the Italian sports car maker Maserati, again with the prospect of producing a more powerful car. It was a 1970 SM with a 170-horsepower 2.7-liter engine, hydropneumatic suspension and a self-centering steering system called DIRAVI.

Citroën SM (1970-1975)

The GS model in 1970 was finally able to bridge the huge gap between the 2CV and the DS. It became very successful, putting Citroën in second place among French automakers after Peugeot.

By the mid-1970s, the company was weighed down by many problems. Among them were the consequences of the fuel crisis, which was intensified by the brand's stake in large engines, large investments in the development of new models, and a forced exit from the American market. The company sells Berliet and Maserati, closes a number of joint ventures, but still goes bankrupt.

With the assistance of the French government, the PSA Peugeot Citroën group was created in 1976. The new automaker has launched a number of successful models, including the GS, CX, the revised 2CV, the Dyane, and the Peugeot 104 based on the Citroën Visa and Citroën LNA.

However, the new owners gradually reduced the ambition of Citroën engineers for technological innovation, trying to rebrand the brand, directing it to the mass market. In the 1980s, more and more Citroën models were built on the basis of Peugeot, and by the end of the decade, many of the brand's distinctive attributes had almost disappeared. However, despite the simplification of cars, sales remained stable.

In the 1990s, the brand expanded its sales geography, gaining a foothold in the markets of the USA, Eastern Europe, the CIS countries and China. The latter is currently her priority.

In Russia, the Citroën brand was in steady demand, which prompted the management of PSA Peugeot Citroën to organize the assembly of the most popular models in our country. In the spring of 2006, the company held talks with the Russian Ministry of Economic Development on the construction of a plant. In 2008, the French automaker agreed with the Japanese company Mitsubishi Motors to build an auto plant near Kaluga, which will produce 160,000 cars a year. The two companies formed a joint venture with 70% PSA Peugeot Citroën and 30% Mitsubishi Motors Corporation. In April 2010, the plant began work. There, the SKD method is used to manufacture the Citroën C4 model.

This car has become one of the most popular among Russian buyers. It was designed to expand its reach to a consumer audience and received many technological innovations, including directional headlights, an ESP system, as well as a Hydractive suspension, which is used on models more high class. Brake system includes ventilated brake discs on front and rear wheels, ABS system.

In 2008, the model received a facelift, and in 2010, the automaker presented the second generation, which is still in production.

Citroën C4 (2004)

Citroën is now developing its lineup, expanding it with the addition of a crossover, electric and hybrid cars. Active developments are being carried out in the field of creating revolutionary concept cars, with a striking design, aimed at young, active buyers. The brand intends to expand its presence in emerging markets.

Citroen was founded in 1919 in France. Its founder was the engineer and entrepreneur Andre Gustave Citroen. The plant created inexpensive machines for the general user. The first name of the company was AO Citroen.

As a rule, among automobile brands one can find historical and iconic ones. Both terms are applicable to Citroen - its products combined quality marks traditional for cars, at the same time developing, ahead of competitors. Vehicles of this brand have been serving not only the people, but also the government of France for decades. Drivers call Citroen cars "sent from above."

Citroen makes cars accessible to a wide range of car enthusiasts.

Biography of the founder

Frenchman Andre Citroen was born in 1878. His father, Levi Citroen, was an entrepreneur. He processed precious stones, subsequently selling them. The business developed successfully - there was enough money to provide for the family. Yet Levy did not feel powerful enough in his field. Andre was 6 years old when the father of the family took his own life. As a legacy, the father of the family left a large fortune, as well as, no less important, connections with the industrial and financial figures of Paris. In the 19th century, a tradition was developed in which the sons continued to engage in the family business, but the young Citroen was more interested in technology, including cars.

After graduating from the Polytechnic School, Andre got a job with his friends in the workshop. So, at the age of 23, he became a specialist in the production of parts for locomotives. After four years in the firm, he invests all the remaining inheritance in the company's securities and becomes a co-owner of the Esten business.

While in Poland, Andre drew attention to a small factory, where a self-taught mechanic, unknown to anyone, invented gears among other units. Citroen realized that this technology would be promising, so he decided to acquire a patent for its implementation. Continuing his career in the Esten business, Andre sets up the production of gears at their factory. This technology was much more advanced than the products of the company's competitors. The new level of production allowed the business to acquire customers outside of France in a short time. This brought the business a serious profit.

Around the same time, the company developed what the French call the "double chevron". In appearance, it looks like two inverted "V"s, which schematically conveys the image of the conical ends of the gears.

In the company, Andre was engaged not only in commercial activities, but also took on the duties of technical director. In a short time, he got rid of all competitors - rapidly developing technologies left no equal on the market. Citroen received an excellent reputation, which was noticed by the managers of the Mors plant. They invited him to the post of technical director. Andre accepted the request, after which the level of Mors began to rise.

During the First World War, Citroen did not stop to realize their entrepreneurial plans. He understood that the French army did not have enough ammunition at the front. In this regard, Andre proposes a deal to the Minister of War, according to which a factory for the production of shells will be created. The large-scale project had to be implemented in just three months - time was short. After much deliberation, the state agreed to work with Citroen, providing him with funding in the form of 20% of the amount that was needed for construction. Andre borrowed the remaining 80% of the funds from workers in various industries.

Indeed, in three months, a large factory was set up on the empty banks of the Seine River, which produced more ammunition than all the enterprises of France put together. Citroen considered the reason for success high level organizations.

Creation of the Citroen car brand

After the end of the First World War, production at the André factory ceased. He decided what to do with production facilities - a professional team, premises, machines and his own experience, as well as funds raised from shells. One of the most promising areas was the production of transport. Citroen was intimately familiar with cars, so he decided to invest money and time.

Andre's first idea was to create a complex and technologically advanced 18-horsepower car. Later, influenced by the production principle he saw at Henry Ford's American plant, he decided that he could do better by targeting the mass market. In 1919, with the help of the French designer Jules Solomon (the creator of the La Zebre car), he began to create cars in his factory. Production began with one trial model, but the more they became, the more cars were considered a mass commodity, rather than outlandish technology.

The first model was called Citroen A. It had a volume of 1.3 liters and had a capacity of 10 Horse power, developing a speed of 65 km / h. The model was the first in Europe to have an electric starter and lighting. Runabouts were in great demand - with the production of 100 copies a day, the plant still did not have time to supply everyone with cars. The Type A was priced at 7950 francs - affordable at the time. No competing company could offer motorists the same low price, which inevitably led Citroen to success. They received over 16,000 acquisition requests in two weeks.

In the same 1919, the company negotiated the sale of the Citroen brand to General Motors. Both parties agreed, but the deal did not go through, as the Americans considered such an acquisition to be too much of a burden on the budget.

Thus, at the age of 41, Andre laid the foundation for a transport revolution in France. In order to delve into the technology of car production, as well as to peep the principles of the work of competitors, Andre Citroen secretly dismantled American models of cars that were popular at that time at his factory. Among them were Buick, Nash and Studebreaker. For four years of operation, Citroen has developed production, producing 300 cars a day.

By the end of the 1920s, the company had representative offices in every major country in Europe. In order to make it more convenient for Citroen drivers to service their cars, aggregate warehouses were built throughout France. In 1921, more than 3000 models were sold and exported.

In the meantime, the company has developed a new subcompact called 5CV. This simple and reliable car received the status of "people's". He moved well on dirt roads. Without front brakes, the car was equipped with springs front and rear. A few years later, the model was updated to versions B12 and B14. Models were sold for more than 135 thousand euros in 2 years. They increased the popularity of Citroen.

Further development, difficulties and André's death

In 1931, the company introduced a new model - the Citroen Grand Lux. This car has become a premium from the brand. It was equipped with a 2.7-liter engine, which was a real revolution in the mechanical engineering market in France. By 1933, Citroën had taken first place among all automobile factories in Europe, ahead of the Italian Fiat. In the same year, production reached 1,100 vehicles per day.

In 1934, the demand for Citroen cars fell. This turned out to be a real shock for the company, because quite recently it showed a positive trend. By that time, all brand assets were distributed to create new service centers and factories, so the company was close to bankruptcy. A separate factor was the global financial crisis. Bankruptcy proceedings were initiated, after two months the manufacturer Michelin acquired a 60% stake in Citroen. So, the company managed to remain independent from 1919 until this time.

Andre did not see the emergence of a revolutionary concept of a car that had front-wheel drive. Citroen adheres to this technology to this day. The founder of a great company died in 1935. French journalists spread three versions that influenced Andre's death: an incurable disease, financial difficulties and the death of his daughter. The contribution to the development of the automotive industry, which the entrepreneur made over 26 years of work in the field of vehicles, perpetuated his name in history.

Years later, Citroen created new car. The SM was made in collaboration with Maserati and had a 170 hp engine. With. with 6 valves. The model was equipped with disc brakes on the wheels of both axles and air suspension. This is how the SM earned its position as one of the best coupes in the GT class.

Over time, Andre's idea became a reality - the company paid more and more attention to the production of technologically advanced, but expensive models. Such cars were original and had almost no competitors all over the world. The founder himself believed that with a good design of the car, its price does not matter. Unfortunately, extravagant cars did not bring much income - most of the drivers belonged to the working class. The situation was exacerbated by the oil crisis, which seriously undermined the sales of fuel-demanding Citroen. The brand had to join the mass part of the market, otherwise they were in danger of ruin. The image of innovators was lost for years.

In 1974, Citroen merged with automobile concern Peugeot, pursuing pragmatic goals. This finally deprived the company of the title of a revolutionary in the field of technology, because now the products were regulated by the interests of two factories. Otherwise, such cooperation allowed Citroen to survive the crisis.

Only by the beginning of the 90s, the brand was again able to “leave” on originality. The trend for unusual cars again went around the world, which allowed the extravagant Citroen models to win the respect of the public again. One of the most important stages in the revival of the company on the market was the director's decision: he concentrated the plant's forces on developing different designs for each line of cars. Thus, each series received appearance which is very different from any other. The new XM model received an excellent running system and an elegant design.

The current position of Citroen in the market

In the first half of the nineties, the company produced the Santia, Berlingo and Saxo models. In parallel with this, a series of cars was being prepared for sports. Work on different directions gave results: models C4, C3 and C5 were released, which belonged to the European system.

In 2004 Sebastien Loeb, a driver from France, won the WRC racing tournament. He was driving a Casara model. Then Sebastian confirmed his status several times, but already on C4, C3 and DS3. Taking part in 12 races and winning 9 of them, the rider set the record for victories in the history of the WRC, representing his country and Citroen.

Given the success in the sports car segment, the company has released sports modifications to many of its models. In 2007, the company's first crossover was released, which was created on the basis of the Mitsubishi Outlander. In 2011, another model came out, which took a high place in sales in the French market.

Citroen relied on the original design. The development of cars was supported by Peugeot, so the company was able to reduce the cost of updates. So, in 2013, a five-seater Picasso came out. In 2014, it appeared a new version- C4 Grand C4 Picasso. The car had seven seats, including the driver's seat. The model had not only a special appearance, but also wide electronic functionality and good environmental performance. By 2014, the line has collected more than 65,000 applications with orders - the models have become popular all over the world, mainly among large families.

Advertising moves Andre

As a seasoned entrepreneur, Citroen understood that making cars and selling them were two very different things. Thus, the growing pace of assembly (60 thousand copies in 1925 and 100 thousand in 1929) needed an implementation scheme. Andre's first project was the release of Citroen toy models, which were small copies of real cars. In order to increase brand awareness and be visible to everyone, André ordered road signs from the city's transport services with the Citroen symbol - a double chevron.

Thus, a significant part of the budget car company was constantly in the circulation of advertising. One of the projects was an "advertising run" - drivers equipped for a trip went on long routes,
loudspeaker telling the townspeople about the benefits of their company's products. During stops, they showed presentations to citizens and held lotteries. André was convinced that a "live" demonstration of cars was the best way interest potential buyers. Practice shows that from 3 to 15% of the eyewitnesses of the runs went home on the newly purchased Citroen.

Back in 1929, André created an exhibition hall six tiers high, one of the walls of which was a showcase 21 by 10 meters, consisting entirely of glass. This design attracted many visitors who could see all the available cars of the company in one place. André also provided loans on favorable terms for motorists and conducted tours of the production facilities.

One day, an enterprising businessman heard about an English pilot who, using his plane, drew various images and words in the sky. Andre decided that his company needed a similar service. He told the pilot to leave a white trail in the sky in the form of a Citroen. Despite the fact that the inscription stayed in the air for a few minutes, the word about the car brand spread around the world. The huge investment in paying for the pilot's work quickly paid off.

One of Andre's most massive projects was the idea with the Eiffel Tower. More than 125,000 light bulbs were placed on it, which, when turned on by various levers, formed ten pictures, among which was the name of an automobile company. Both the residents of Paris and the tourists all loved this installation.

The campaign, in which Citroen supplied cars for racing events such as races in the Sahara Desert and Asia, as well as parcels with gramophone recordings of advertising audio clips of cars, all this led to take first place in Europe and second in the world in the field of mechanical engineering by 1934.

Andre was constantly in debt to various financiers. His projects were risky, but in most cases paid off, after which Citroen started a new advertising campaign. One of the projects, however, connected with the construction of more services and factories, turned out to be critical in the history of the company. A serious financial crisis deprived Andre of almost all funds. Many attempts to attract material support did not turn out to be successful, after which Citroen went bankrupt.

Conclusion

André's activities have become a vivid example of the fact that a devoted pursuit of what you love can create a real revolution in one area or another of life. Of course, he would not have succeeded without the ability to make decisions on time, as well as develop advertising campaigns. Citroen cars in our time are known for their originality and wide functionality - factors that Andre himself did not have time to realize.